[Herald-Leader]Undrafted Chuck Hayes has been offered a contract with Rockets

http://www.ukathletics.com/chuckhayes/hayes_words.html

The Word on Hayes
"Chuck is one of the hardest working forwards in the country. He doesn't get the hype. He just gets the boards. He's about as perfect a player for Tubby Smith as there is in college basketball. Every team would love to have a Hayes creating havoc in the lane.''
- Andy Katz, ESPN.com Senior Writer

To me, a 6-6 guy like Chuck Hayes is dynamite. He can rebound, he got a little shot, he can take it to the hole, he is strong, heis tough. He is one of my favorite players in the country.?
- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo

There are times when he (Hayes) pulls me aside to tell me what I should be thinking or what I should be doing in certain situations. He pushes me to be the best player I can be in every aspect of the game.?
- UK freshman center Randolph Morris

If I had Chucks, I will be the happiest man in the world.?
- Kentucky Head Coach Tubby Smith

Maybe this is the year that even those outside the coaching fraternity discover that Hayes is a great player too.?
- Phil Taylor, Sports Illustrated, Nov. 22, 2004

Chuck Hayes is this team's rock. The 6'6", 247- pound senior is an ace defender, rebounder, and can even score and pass. He's the epitome of an overachiever and a leader, perfect for a Tubby Smith-coached team and one of the nation's underrated players.?
- Mike Mears, ***********.com

Hayes is a man out on the floor. He is versatile and has talent, but what sets him apart is his mature approach to the game. Hayes looks to make the right play in every situation, not the right play for him. He is disciplined, he guards people, he rebounds, and he goes after it on both ends. Chuck Hayes is a great teammate, and could play for any team in America ... and that team would be much better for having him. It is no wonder that Kentucky wins big games without big names, when Tubby Smith has a guy with such a huge heart as Chuck Hayes.?
- Jay Bilas

He is a star in my book. Any coach would give his right arm to have a Chuck Hayes. He might not fit the computer printout of a great player, but he finds ways to win games for you.?
- Tom Izzo, Michigan State Coach - Sports Illustrated, Nov. 22, 2004

Hayes winds up with the ball more than anyone else because he wants it more than anyone else. You can find dozens of players more talented than Chuckie on the Spot, but you can find five more enthusiastic about doing the dirty work that wins games.?
- Pat Forde, ESPN.com

"There is one common denominator in our practice and that is whatever team Chuck is on wins. It doesn matter who else you put around him, Chuck wins. Hel be the guy to do the little things.?
- Kentucky Head Coach Tubby Smith

Chuck is just a beast. He is one of the premier players in the country. He scores and he has a good mid-range game. He is a perfect example of what great about college athletics. He just an unbelievable human being."
- Tennessee Tech Head Coach Mike Sutton

 

http://espn.go.com/dickvitale/vcolumn050620-ChuckHayes.html



Chuck Hayes' intangibles suit him well for NBA
By Dick Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPN.COM


June 20, 2005
With all the talk of underclassmen dominating NBA draft discussions, let's remember there are a number of quality seniors who will be selected.

I want to talk about one senior who's a winner and who's capable of contributing in the NBA. Kentucky's Chuck Hayes brings a special attitude that is contagious to everyone around him.


Hayes is the kind of guy you want on your team. I don't care about measuring his speed and quickness and other tangible factors that we hear about at draft time.

Often players are judged solely on those elements, and NBA teams forget about the intangibles that can make a big-time difference. It seems the NBA is looking for Olympians in other sports instead of winning basketball players.

I'm talking hoops, and Hayes is a warrior with incredible toughness. He brings a physical presence to the court.

I remember hearing people who were critical of Udonis Haslem when he came out of Florida. Now look at what he's bringing to the table for the Miami Heat.

In his senior year at Kentucky, Hayes averaged 10.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

He'll never be a star in the NBA, and he'll probably never become a starter. But he can be a role player who will be a factor in practice every day, making his teammates work hard. I believe he will make an NBA roster, and with his hard work and effort he'll find a way to earn playing time.

Coaches love guys with that special attitude who'll do anything to help a club win. Hayes is a fighter, a battler, a competitor and, most of all, a winner.

An NBA team should see his potential. He will be an asset, and clubs should consider him earlier than many experts are projecting.

With all the underclassmen, he could be pushed down the list. So Hayes could be a real bargain on draft day.


Dick Vitale coached the Detroit Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question to Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.


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some highlights of Chuck Hayes, I think he is really good!!!!

http://stream.ihigh.com/links/uk/2004/2004_1206_bkm_hayesspot_300.asx

 

After seeing some highlights of Hayes, he is more like younger Clarence Weatherspoon!!!!!!!!

 

http://www.wisinfo.com/sheboyganpress/sports/archive/sports_21633241.shtml

Posted June 30, 2005

Pete Barth column: NBA draft indicative of slippage

Glancing at the results of the NBA draft reminded me (again) why my love for this product dwindles by the year.

I’m tired of this league’s infatuation with potential and athletic ability over just plain basketball ability.

In the first round, Portland took a high schooler (Martell Webster) with the sixth pick. The Lakers took a 17-year-old (Andrew Bynum) with the 10th overall pick.

I guess it says something about my basketball tastes that I liked the look of the second round more than the first. Players like Salim Staudamire of Arizona (drafted by Atlanta), Brandon Bass of LSU (picked by New Orleans), Ronny Turiaf of Gonzaga (picked by the Lakers) and Travis Diener of Marquette (picked by the Magic) have showed me they can play basketball. But in today’s NBA, playing basketball takes a backseat to being young, jumping high and having really long arms.

Kentucky’s Chuck Hayes is a terrific basketball player. He’s 6-6, strong, smart and tough. Yet he wasn’t drafted. He’s just one example of a guy who didn’t have that lightning-in-a-bottle “upside” all these NBA teams are looking for.

The good news is that the Bucks got it right. They took a basketball player, and a seven-foot basketball player at that. They had the guts to ignore the so-called experts who insisted that Marvin Williams will be better (like they know).

When I think back to the days when I loved the NBA, I think of players like Adrian Dantley, Mark Aguirre, George Gervin, Larry Bird, Andrew Toney, Elvin Hayes, James Worthy, Kevin McHale, Moses Malone and Bernard King.

None were considered particularly phenomenal athletes. But all were great basketball players. These days, that’s in short supply.

Reach Pete Barth at pbarth@Sheboygan.gannett.com

 

http://stream.ihigh.com/links/uk/20...yesspot_300.asx